Shoe construction.



J. B. WEBB.

SHOE GONSTBUGTIOH.. Arrmonmx FILED 101223, I911.

1,060,300. 4 Patented A ;-.29,1913.

INVENTOR JAM5 R. WEBB I Br I" L 6151' I 2 W5 momma WITNESSES JAMES R. WEBB, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

sHoE CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent; Patented Apr. 29,1913.

Application filed November 23, 1911. Serial No. 661,900.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JAMES RWVEBB, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Shoe-.Const-ruction, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the,n1anufacture of shoes having as an integral part thereof a support for the arch of the foot and has for its object to effect this result by simple efficacious means.

Arch supports asat present known may be conveniently divided into two classes: those which form part of the shoe itself on the one hand; and those which are adapted to be inserted as a distinct article of man ufacture into a shoe after it is finished. Y

My invention relates to the first of these classes. The arch supports which are not part of the shoe necessarily occupy a conside'rable amount of space inla shoe which, being made one last intended toiepresent the foot of the average wearer, has no provision for the reception-of this additional material. This type of device consequently presents manifest inefiiciencies. When, on the other hand, the arch support embodied in ashoe as a part of its inherent construction has heretofore always required the use of special expensive processes with respect to the elements constituting a shoe not directly involved in the arch support as, for instance, the use of specially shaped insoles. special shape of insole requires to be specially channeled since machine channeling follows the outline of the insole and would, therefore. not be applicable to an insole having an integral part intended to support the instep (without being attached at that point to the main sole.) Furthermore, any arch support based upon the use of an insole having an integral flap intended to support the arch,and supporting the arch only from a point beginning at the outer edge of the insole proper is an insufficient construction es-' pecially for the reason that the part of the insole intended to support the arch will, in a very.short time, be reduced to the condition of being practically a part of the upper.

By my invention I support the arch properly' and permanently and make it possible to shape. the support upon the last without interfering with anyof the normal prac- Such' a V tic-able operations of shoe building. This I accomplish by the use in the'simplestform of my invention ojia piece of stiff leather extending from thi'iibreast of the heel to the ball of the insole and attaching it approximately near the :enter line of the shoe to the insole. T hepiece, of leather being thus attached at a point where it interferes with none of the regular stitches used in shoe making can be shaped upon the lastso that it rises from the insole not at the edge there-- of but at a point quite far in from the edge.

By constructing the support in this fashion the arch of the foot is supported at the point where it requires support and being. located partly beneath rather than at one side there of acts as a real support rather than as a mere stiffening of the upper. For greater rigidity the stiff piece of leathermay befur;

ther reinforced by a metal plate attached to itsunder and outer surface.

i[n the drawings Figure 1 represents a top iew of an insole of a ladys shoe with the arch-support attached thereto. Fig, 2 represents the bottom viewof the insole. Fig. 3 is a section through the complete shoe along line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows the support with the metal reinforcement. on. a shoe with the upper removed. Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the support shown in Fig. 4. In the drawings A represents the usual lnsole carrying the arch support B which is attached thereto by the row of stitches C near the center of the shoe. This row of stitches as more plainlyseen in Fig. ,2 passes through parts of the insole which are not used for any other mechanical working, and since the leather B is bent away from the insole A upon the last it leaves the parts D of the insole free for further operations connected with the completion of the shoe without interference by reasonof the'presence of the leather support B. In ladies shoes which are extremely. narrow at the center is important that the row of stitches 0 should pass through the insole at approximately the central part of the shoe since otherwise these stitches will get in the way of the parts E E which are intended for mechanical cooperation with other parts of the shoe. In mens shoes which are wider at this point the stitches C need not be so being important, however, that there should and not .throug force G is employed. This metal reinforce 15 preferably .attached to the su port by means of flat'headed rivets H. to upper edge of the support B lies'against'the inner face of the upper but rising as it does from near the center of the shoe, the arch will be supported from a point toward the center of the toot and not merelv'from the edge-of the insole. The support extends from the breast of the'hcel to the ball of the insole and from approvimately the center of the insole under and up toward the inside arch of the foot. In addition to the row of stitches C I may also use a cementing means to unite the sole A with the support B for 'the purpose of holding both in place until stitc ies are placed.

The essence of this invention resides in the use of the support as a part'of the construction of a 5 0e in which the support rises under the instep beginnin at a point materially in from the edge 0 the insole. This mm s the support directl under and close tot 1e arch of the foot. being shaped on the last makes the arch-support a part of the construction of the .shoe and being built in the shoe makes it ampermanent art thereof. It will-be noticedthat the stitc es 0 ass through theinsole only the main'sole I of-the shoe.

and 5), where the heavler support carrying the metal rein-- Y be support This is one of the characteristics of my construction.

What I claim is:

'1. A shoe construction comprising a main sole, an .upper, an insole, an( an arch support secured to said insole and extending upwardly t'herefrom at an angle, said support contactin with said insole only along substantially tie median line thereof and having portions intermediate of its longitudinal edges free from said upper and said insole. 2. A shoe construction comprising a main sole, an upper, an insole, an arch support secured to said insole in contact therewith only along substantially the median line of said insole, and a reinforce secured to the lower surface of said support and being independent of said insole.

,3. A shoe construction comprising a main sole, an upper, an insole, an arch support secured to said insole and in contact therewith only along substantially the median line of said insole. said support tapering, upwardly from said insole toward said upper and a reinforce secured to the lower surfaceof said support and being independent of said insole.

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES R. WEBB. -"\1Vitnesses HFRANK KIRKPATRICK,

HANs v. Bmsssu.

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